The present invention relates to enterprise servers in general and to Web-enablement of enterprise servers in particular.
Currently most of the valuable computerized information belonging to a company is stored on computers known in the art as enterprise servers. Examples are mainframes, as well as computers running one of the following operating systems: AS/400, Unix, VAX and NT. Each enterprise server (ES) will have its own database(s) and application(s) to allow access to the information stored in the server. The user interface of these ES applications is generally text-oriented and presented in what are known in the art as xe2x80x9cgreen screensxe2x80x9d. Modern applications, by contrast have graphical user interfaces (GUI) and are more user friendly.
A recent trend in information technology is e-business/e-commerce applications. Its purpose is to give access to information stored in enterprise servers via the Internet or a company Intranet, either by developing new Web-enabled applications or by converting the green screens of existing ES applications to Web-enabled applications, a technique known as xe2x80x9cscreen wrappingxe2x80x9d. The Web-enabled applications are generally either a collection of HyperText Markup Language (HTML) files, or Java code in the form of a Java applet or a stand-alone Java program. Products for HTML conversion of green screens are commercially available from Attachmate Corporation of Bellevue, Wash., USA.
For HTML-based solutions, the user""s computer requires only a Web browser, while a Web server brokers all communication between the Web browser and the enterprise server. The Web browser is independent of the ES application, and can therefore be used to display HTML pages generated for several different ES applications. Moreover, the Web server brokers all communication between the ES and the Web browser, and can therefore control the information transmitted to the ES. However, precisely because each transaction must pass through the Web server, the Web server becomes a bottleneck. Another disadvantage is that HTML commands are not capable of producing the rich GUI and functionality available through Java.
A Java-based Web-enabled application has many advantages. The Java client enables distributed processing by using client resources for data processing instead of enterprise server resources. Java clients have a rich graphical user interface and powerful functionality, including the ability to directly access enterprise servers.
However, a particular Java client performs a particular set of functions on an enterprise server. In other words, it is a dedicated client with a single purpose. It is not suitable for accessing other enterprise servers and their applications, or even for accessing the same enterprise server to perform a different set of functions. Therefore, a user wishing to run different applications on one or more enterprise servers requires a dedicated Java client for each application. The size of the Java applet, and therefore the time required to download it, will increase in correlation to the complexity of the application. In the case of a stand-alone Java program or an installed Java applet, the client must be downloaded and reinstalled each time the application is modified.
If the Java client is the product of a Java code generator, such as Jacada from CST of Herzliya, Israel and OpenVista from OpenConnect Systems Inc. of Dallas, Tex., USA, then there are a number of additional disadvantages. The Java code generator generates Java code for each green screen of an ES application. The Java code collectively forms a Java applet which can then be downloaded from a Web server to a user""s computer running a browser. The size of the Java applet increases for each green screen of the ES application, approximately 5-20 Kilobytes (KB) per green screen. An ES application having 200 green screens, for example, is converted to a Java applet of approximately 1 MegaByte (MB). Downloading such a large Java applet is time-consuming. The user is required to download the entire Java applet even if he may need to use only a few of the screens. Since the Java applet is essentially a screen wrapper of the original green screens of the FS application, other sources of data are not easily integrated into the Java applet.
There is provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a software system including a database containing data related to at least one software application, and a general-purpose interpreter on a computer. The interpreter is coupled to the database and the interpreter interprets the data thus enabling a user of the computer to perform functions of the at least one application.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer is connected to a network having an enterprise server computer connected thereto. The interpreter connects to the enterprise server computer to perform functions of the at least one application on the enterprise server computer.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer is connected to a network, and the system further includes a remote function server, located on a second computer. The second computer is connected to the network and to en enterprise server computer. The interpreter instructs the remote function server to perform functions of the at least one application on the enterprise server computer.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer is connected to a network, and the system further includes a gateway connected to the network. The gateway reroutes communication between the interpreter and other computers connected to the network.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer is connected to a network, and the system further includes a gateway on a firewall connected to the network. The gateway reroutes communication between the interpreter and other computers located behind the firewall.
Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer is connected to a network, and the system further includes a first gateway connected to the network, and a second gateway on a firewall connected to the network. The first gateway reroutes communication between the interpreter and other computers connected to the network. The second gateway reroutes communication between the first gateway and other computers located behind the firewall.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the network is the Internet or an Intranet.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system further includes a graphical application builder for generating the data. Preferably, the builder includes a designer for designing new screens of the at least one application, and an organizer for assigning functionality to controls of the new screens.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the interpreter displays the new screens on the computer and reacts to user-initiated input according to the functionality.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the builder further includes a recorder for recording old screens of the at least one application.
Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the designer and organizer are operative to design a template for new screens. The template has at least one dynamic control, and the designer is also operative to associate a portion of the old screens with the template.
There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a graphical application builder. The builder includes a designer for designing new screens of a software application, and an organizer for assigning functionality to controls of the new screens. Output of the builder is date related to the software application which is stored in a database.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the builder further includes a recorder for recording old screens of the software application.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the designer and organizer are operative to design a template for new screens. The template has at least one dynamic control, and the designer is also operative to associate a portion of the old screens with the template.
There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for enabling a user of a computer to perform functions of at least one application. The method includes the steps of retrieving data related to the at least one application from a database, and interpreting the data by a general-purpose interpreter on a computer, the interpreter coupled to the database.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the computer is connected to a network having an enterprise server computer connected thereto, and the method further includes the steps of connecting to the enterprise server computer, and performing functions of the at least one application on the enterprise server computer.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer is connected to a network having an enterprise server computer and a second computer connected thereto, and the method further includes the step of instructing a remote function server located on the second computer to perform functions of the at least one application on the enterprise server computer.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer is connected to a network having a gateway connected thereto, and the method further includes the step of rerouting communication between the interpreter and other computers connected to the network.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer is connected to a network having a gateway on a firewall connected thereto, and the method further includes the step of rerouting communication between the interpreter and other computers located behind the firewall.
Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computer is connected to a network having a first gateway connected thereto and a second gateway on a firewall connected thereto. The method further includes the steps of rerouting by the first gateway communication between the interpreter and other computers connected to the network, and rerouting by the second gateway communication between the first gateway and other computers located behind the firewall.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, network is the Internet or an Intranet.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the step of generating the data with a graphical application builder.
Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of generating includes the steps of designing new screens of the at least one application, and assigning functionality to controls of the new screens.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the step of displaying the new screens on the computer.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the step of reacting to user-initiated input according to the functionality.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the step of recording old screens of the application.
Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the steps of designing a template for new screens, the template having at least one dynamic control, and associating a portion of the old screens with the template.
There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for graphically building a software application. The method includes the steps of designing new screens of a software application, assigning functionality to controls of the new screens, and storing data related to the new screens and the functionality in a database.
Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the step of recording old screens of the software application.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, tho method further includes the steps of designing a template for new screens, the template having at least one dynamic control, and associating a portion of the old screens with the template.